Asghar Farhadi to Open Cannes 2018 With Everybody Knows

The 2018 Cannes Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Asghar Farhadi’s Spanish-language drama “Everybody Knows” starring Penélope Cruz and Javier Bardem. The decision makes the drama the second Spanish-language film to open Cannes after Pedro Almodóvar’s “Bad Education” in 2004.

“Everybody Knows” stars the Oscar-winning Cruz as a mother who travels with her family from Buenos Aires back to her small hometown outside Madrid, Spain for a celebration. The family’s trip is plagued by unexpected events that threaten to tear the loved ones apart.

Cannes has never hid the fact it loves auteur filmmakers and star-studded casts, so the combination of Farhadi, Cruz, and Bardem made “Everybody Knows” a no-brainer for the opening night slot. Both actors are no strangers to the Croisette. Cruz shared the best actress trophy for “Volver” in 2006, while Bardem was recently at Cannes with Sean Penn’s “The Last Face” in 2016.

Farhadi has previously had two films compete for the Palme d’Or at Cannes: “The Salesman” in 2016 and “The Past” in 2013. “The Past” star Bérénice Bejo won the festival’s best actress prize, while “The Salesman” took home honors for best actor (Shahab Hosseini) and best screenplay (Farhadi). The latter ended up winning the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film the following year. “Everybody Knows” is Farhadi’s first Cannes opener.

“Everybody Knows” does not have a U.S. distributor yet. UTA Independent Film Group is representing the rights to the sale of the film in North America along with Memento Films. The drama opens in France on May 9, just a day after its opening premiere. The 71st Cannes Film Festival runs May 8-19.